Fascism

Fascism is a far-right political ideology that originated in Italy during World War I. It is named for the fasci, a bundle of sticks held together with an axe (the fascists in Italy were a mixture of several political factions, like the bundle of sticks tied together), and the Axis Powers of World War II such as Nazi Germany, the Kingdom of Italy, Rumania, and neutral countries like Spain and Portugal were ruled by fascist governments. After the war's end, fascism was used as an insult, and it lost its large following.

History
Fascism originated in World War I, opposing left-wing politics such as liberalism and socialism. It originated in several European countries during the war, with German ideologist Johann Plenge "declaring war" on the ideals of the 1789 French Revolution such as the natural rights of man and liberalism in favor of the German values of duty, discipline, law, and order. Fascists like Benito Mussolini in Italy originally supported Vladimir Lenin during the 1917 Russian Revolution, but he later regarded him as a new version of Czar Nicholas II of Russia. Fascism declared war on socialism because of its opposition to nationalism, although both Bolshevism and fascism believed in a totalitarian government, a vanguard upper class, single-party states, armies controlled by the ruling party, proletarian nations, and revolutionary action.

In October 1922, fascism took power in Italy after the "March on Rome", with Prime Minister Luigi Facta stepping down and allowing for Mussolini to form a fascist government. Adolf Hitler formed the Nazi Party in Germany at the same time, but his 1923 "March on Berlin" ended in the failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, Bavaria. In Hungary and Romania, the governments were taken over by Fascists, while on 6 February 1934 France faced protests by the fascist movement. In 1938, the National Socialist Movement of Chile tried to rebel in Chile, but this led to the Seguro Obrero massacre, where 60 rioters were shot.

Fascism's tenets included ultranationalism, with both Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy pursuing goals of forming empires in Europe. Italy tried to recreate the Roman Empire by taking over North Africa and the Balkans, while Germany fought against their perceived enemies: the Slavs of Poland, the "Jewish Bolsheviks" of the Soviet Union, the liberals of France, the monarchs of Scandinavia and the Balkans, and the World War I victor, the United Kingdom. In 1939, these ultranationalist sentiments led to the invasion of Poland, which led to the outbreak of World War II. The fascist Axis Powers were defeated by the Allied Powers, who opposed Hitler, and both Hitler and Mussolini died before the war ended. World War II ended in all of the fascist governments falling to the Allies, with the Soviets spreading communism from th east and the Allies liberating countries to the west.

Since World War II, "fascist" became an insult for totalitarian leaders or leaders with a cult of personality. Fascism was no longer a major political ideology, and the term became a pejorative used by free governments against dictators.